UP: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slams Allahabad High Court's verdict regarding hijab
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has reacted sharply to the Allahabad High Court's verdict regarding the hijab. Expressing objection to the High Court's decision on the hijab issue, he stated that it is not in consonance with Articles 25 and 19 of the Constitution. The MP made this statement during an event held at Darussalam on Tuesday.
Asaduddin Owaisi remarked, "Who are you to determine the rules of Islam? This is a matter of belief for the Muslim community." He asserted that the High Court's verdict goes against the Constitution and constitutes an attack on Islam, adding that every Muslim daughter has the right to wear it.
High Court ruled against the hijab
The case pertains to Sukaina Rizvi, a student at Tagore Public School in the Attarsuiya area of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The student had sought permission to wear a headscarf along with the school uniform upon admission to Class 11; the court rejected this request.
The High Court observed that if an educational institution's dress code is uniform for all students, non-discriminatory, and implemented to maintain discipline, then an individual student cannot demand an exemption from it.
The Court remarked that the claim characterizing the wearing of a hijab as an essential religious practice remained merely an assertion; the student failed to present sufficient religious evidence to substantiate this claim.
While dismissing the minor student's petition, a division bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Indrajit Shukla stated that adherence to the educational institution's prescribed dress code is mandatory. The Court further observed that the fact that the school had not previously prevented the student from wearing a scarf in earlier classes did not imply that she had acquired a legal right to continue wearing it in school.
Politics has now erupted over the High Court's verdict. While Asaduddin Owaisi termed the decision wrong, unconstitutional, and an attack on Islam, other Muslim religious leaders have also expressed their objections. They have appealed to the Allahabad High Court to reconsider its decision.
The Court noted that whenever this issue has arisen, High Courts have consistently held that the hijab is not an essential part of Islam. The Court also stated that a woman's religious faith is not compromised if she does not wear a hijab.